Shamanism has been widely practised in Korea since the past. In the past, these people who practiced shamanism were called shamans; now, they are known as fortune tellers.

Shamanism originated from the north, and involves being possessed. It is practised predominantly by women. Hence, it has become a women’s tradition and has its own critical role in establishing power and autonomy of women. A female shaman acts as a medium between the spiritual and earthly world, bringing either good fortune or pain and misfortune to the clients who pray for the spirits’ aid. Therefore, the female shamans help their clients to create a new balance between peace and the surrounding spirits. For those who are curious about this ancient art of “black magic”, let me provide a brief overview on what Shamanism is about.

WHO ARE THEY?Female shamans were known as mudang (무당, 巫堂), while males were known as paksu or pansu (박수). It was one of the better professions in the early days. Self-appointment was usually the case whereby one just needed to have a spiritual experience and practised their spiritual abilities as well as the ability to enter the spiritual world. Nevertheless, daughters of mudang usually followed their mothers’ footsteps and became shamans too. In addition, shrines existed, such as those in the mountain areas, which paid respect to the Mountain God.

KINDS OF SHAMANISMShamans act as a medium between the spirit and human world. There are two main kinds of shamanism – soul-flight shamanism and possessive shamanism.

In soul-flight shamanism, the shaman enters a trance state and h/she will interact with the different gods and deities. The practice will be acted out very dramatically and in a quite exaggerated manner for the client and possible audience to see.

In possessive shamanism, the shaman gets possessed by individuals who have passed away or by particular gods while being in a trance state. While possessed, they speak and act out the words of the deceased individuals or the spirits. In both ways, shamans have to put on a “good show” to please the audience and client. We often see possessive shamanism in Korea.

RITUALS Shamanism seeks to bring humans to be in harmony with spirits. Shamanism enlists the help of animism, whereby natural features such as trees (spirits from trees), animals, mountains, rocks, and rivers are believed to have possessed great spirits that can assist the living. Other shamans can predict the future, while still others specialise in exorcism and casting spells.

One such example is the kut (Gut 굿) ritual, where the mudang will act as the mediator between spirits and the people. It can be a small affair with a single client or family, and usually the ritual performance is quite dynamic and interesting. During the performance, the mudang will change into different colourful costumes associated with the different deities and spirits who treat her as a medium. In addition, she will act out the spirit’s characters through dance and chanting of manuscripts with common shaman instruments like swords, bells, cymbals etc. Another common ceremony is the Gosa (고사), which is often performed when someone buys a new car or truck, or to bring in some luck when they start out on a new business or project.

SHAMAN ART Rituals are also captured on shaman paintings made of silk, paper or cotton. Possessing a boldness and vitality, various immortals like Mountain God Sasin, Dragon King Yongwang as well as some sun and moon spirits are used often by shamans to hold conservation with the client and answering the client’s question.

IN DRAMAS?!Several historical dramas have featured shamans as characters and modern dramas have fortunetellers featuring in it too. Probably you all would have known, the drama “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” had a court shaman, played by Jeon Mi Seon, who helped to hide the crown princess Han Ga In and training her in shaman arts. In “Flower Boy Ramyun Shop”, Lee Chung Ah visits a fortuneteller to find out her fate. Thus, be it the past or present, we can say that shamanism has remained as a popular culture in Korea.

Now you have a better understanding of what Shamanism is about, do check out these fortune tellers (that’s what we call them in the modern era now) when you visit Korea!